The present invention relates to a page turning apparatus, more specifically to a page turning apparatus incorporated in an automatic withdrawal machine used in, for example, a bank and capable of selectively turning forward and backward the pages of a passbook inserted into the automatic withdrawal machine.
Conventionally, customers can readily withdraw money from the banks through automatic withdrawal machines. In withdrawing money through one such automatic withdrawal machine, a customer or user opens his passbook at one page to be printed, and then inserts it into the machine. Then, the automatic withdrawal machine reads prescribed information on the customer from the inserted passbook, and prints proper items, such as an amount of money withdrawn, the balance, etc., on the passbook. When the last line of the page at which the passbook is opened is printed, the passbook is transferred to a page turning apparatus, where the page is turned forward for continued printing, and then after printing a new page the passbook is returned to the customer. The page turning apparatus incorporated in the conventional automatic withdrawal machine, however, is subject to the following drawbacks.
For example, if a passbook 1 opened at first and second pages 1a and 1b is inserted into the conventional withdrawal machine by a customer, as shown in FIG. 1, it will be transferred to a printing apparatus 2. The printing apparatus 2 is provided with a page turning apparatus 3 which turns those pages of the passbook 1 which are on the forward side only in the forward direction. On the forward side of the printing apparatus 2, a print head 4, which can rotate only in a direction indicated by arrow A, lies on a conveyor path 5 at a fixed position. Further provided is a pad 6 to press the first page 1a of the passbook 1 against the print head 4 in turning the first page 1a.
With use of such construction, only the first page 1a of the passbook can be turned, that is, the pages of the passbook can be turned only in the forward direction.
According to the prior art apparatus, however, if two or more pages are turned at a time by mistake, or if a passbook inserted by a user is opened at a wrong page on the foward side, the page or pages will not be able to be turned back.
Accordingly, there may be provided an apparatus with can selectively turn the first and second pages 1a and 1b by the use of another page turning roller which can rotate only in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by arrow A, as well as the page turning print head 4 rotatable only in the direction indicated by arrow A.
However, such an apparatus requires two page turning rollers for the selective turning of the first and second pages. Thus, the apparatus would be complicated in construction and hence require a wide setting space.